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8.0

Starcraft II Wings of Liberty for the PC has been eagerly anticipated ever since the end of Starcraft: Brood War over a decade ago. Luckily, Blizzard does not disappoint with this new continuation of the Starcraft saga. As the story goes, Arcturus Mengsk has regained support after his disastrous defeat at the hands of Kerrign at the end of Starcraft: Brood War, but his vendetta is aimed primarily at Jim Raynor. Raynor, now an outlaw engaged in guerrilla warfare with Mengsk's empire, is shocked to discover his old friend has been released from prison: the cigar-smoking Tychus Findlay. From here the story twists and turns until coming to a satisfying conclusion, with just enough of a teaser for future expansions that could only be done so expertly by a company such as Blizzard.

The campaign itself is interesting for its since of persistence: upgrades can be purchased aboard the Hyperion that directly affect future missions. This also makes optional mission objectives much more important, as they are what directly fund these technological upgrades. The value of upgrades range in importance: from giving marines permanent increases in health to providing medics with the ability to heal multiple units at once. In addition, "xenos samples" can be gathered from Protoss and Zerg artifacts to research further advantages for Raynor's men.

Owing to how long it's been since the first Starcraft was released, and how much games have evolved since then, this new one offers a branching narrative. Raynor can choose which missions he wants to undertake and which he wants to ignore. Each of the optional missions ultimately culminates in a choice that will dictate not only where Raynor's story goes, but what units will join him in his cause. Without spoiling too much, Blizzard has interwoven decisions into the campaign that will leave many players scratching their heads as to what is the most appropriate decision.

Of course, Starcraft is known for its amazing multiplayer just as much as its known for its interesting campaign. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty holds its own as a great real time strategy game (RTS). Blizzard has shown commitment to its support of Starcraft II with its endless release of patches to fix any exploitable mechanics in the game until the end result is a perfectly balanced RTS experience. Players can form parties with their friends to participate in matches of up to four on four.

If the normal matchmaking isn't of interest, players can also join their friends for custom games. Made by the players for the players, these custom games can range from simple tower defense games to highly complicated role playing games that save your progress from one custom match to the next. Blizzard takes its custom map-making community very seriously, working around the clock to make sure these Starcraft cartographers get the support they deserve. It is through them that Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty remains such an endlessly replayable game.

Ultimately, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty PC version is a great choice for anyone interested in experiencing Blizzard's sci-fi masterpiece.

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8.5

FarCry 3 follows the fortunes of a group of curious American tourists who decide, unwisely, to venture away from the usual tourist routes to visit Rook Islands, a supposedly beautiful group of islands akin to paradise. Little do they know that the island, as well as being home to the indigenous tribe the, Rakyat, also houses groups of unpleasant undesirables such as pirates and drug barons, with their attendant thugs, who are in conflict with the locals.

True to form, the Americans fall foul of the undesirables and are taken captive, but Jason Brody, whose part you take, manages to escape and falls into the arms of the Rakyat who turn out to be friendly towards him. From them he learns the arts of tracking, survival and combat skills, and to manages to amass weaponry and various other artifacts, which he must first win by successfully completing tasks ,and which are essential to his avowed mission of seeking out and rescuing his fellow travelers.

He manages to save his friends one by one and then sets himself the task of destroying the pirate Vaas and his drug runner pal Hoyt. Of course this does not come easy and traveling around the islands, full of enemy barriers and checkpoints, requires a great deal of stealth. It is also necessary to fill in your poorly drawn and fairly bare map of the islands by climbing to great heights, some man made others natural, to view the layout.

There is plenty to keep the player occupied as gradually, one by one, enemy outposts are captured and taken over by the Rakyat. Many subsidiary hunter killer missions take place with these outposts as bases, and the bases must be kept supplied and enemies repulsed. All this takes place in a well depicted environment with jungle, swamps and beaches, with animals to hunt or just to watch.

Forget that the storyline is a bit far fetched and not always a well crafted linear progression, most game plots suffer from this, it is a fun filled game with plenty of things going on in subsidiary missions and mini tasks to to keep you happy for hours. After all its only a game.

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6.0

Marine Sharpshooter 2: Jungle Warfare is loads better than the original game. It may also just be the best of the 5 budget friendly shooters that was developed by the company that came up with it. This should tell you just how bad the original games were but given that it has improved loads, this game still has a long way to go before it really leaves a mark on people who play it.

One example, and you may want to stop reading if you do not want any spoilers and you want to buy the game, but if you do not mind the spoilers, then just read on. You see, the spoiler is that the big boss that you will get to meet at the very end of the game is a Hutu strong guy that you would have been chasing across an impoverished sub Saharan nation called Burundi. He will be introduced in one cut scene that will make it seem like he may have run off somewhere and at that point, you will encounter what seems like an unending stream of rebel soldiers that come from some gorge. You might expect that being the big boss, he may act differently from the rest of the goons but, as luck would have it, he acts exactly like them. What makes things worse is that this fight happens at night, in the rain, which means that you really might have to use some sort of night vision equipment, which will make everyone look like identical green blobs. You might get some shots in at the boss but you won't even get any reaction from him; you might eventually wonder if it is indeed worth playing a game that has you chasing an unfeeling and very insignificant big boss.

It is very hard to expect much from a budget game really, but you would think that they would have at least tried to make something out of it. You can expect the developers to cut some corners because this is indeed a budget game. But still, nothing can excuse the fact that this game was very poorly designed. The boss battle isn't something that is just very poorly implemented but is one that comes from terrible inception. Added to the awful boss battle, the games will also offer some very traditional shortcomings one must expect from budget games; you will encounter some really annoying bugs, awful graphics and well, sad to say, very bad game play. The visuals are very bland and as you progress in the game, they become very repetitive. A lot of the fighting happens at night, which calls for night vision devices and makes things even more monotonous by turning everything a uniform green.

Another thing that you may have issues with is that the AI for the enemy is really very weak. The soldiers that you will be shooting at react to nothing, even when the people standing right next to them have their heads blown off. This make your targets seem like nothing more than just sitting ducks and really takes the thrill out of playing.

7.4

If you like blowing everything up, then you have to know that this game is exactly for you. That is because Mercenaries 2 is all about blowing stuff up. If you are the kind of person who does not like to blow stuff up, then go on and move on to a deck of cards or something more staid and boring.

Now, if you are like those people who really get a kick out of demolishing buildings and tanks and setting foliage on fire, then this is one game that you will want to check out. It certainly is worth your attention and that is for sure. But you have to be warned however that for all the hours of fun you will get by blowing stuff up, there is a quite a price to be paid. You will have to deal with a lot of bugs and a mess of AI issues that may leave you feeling rather violent but for very different reasons. If you are willing to overlook the bugs however, then you are sure to enjoy the game.

When you start the game, you can choose from one of the three available characters. There is Matthias Nilsson, Jennifer Mui and Chris Jacobs; it is a given that each character will have his or her very unique traits. For instance, with Jen, you will find that she moves a lot faster when compared to the boys. Of course, these traits will not really have a very significant impact when it comes to the game and neither will they offer you anything new when it comes to the game play choices that you will have to make. Although you will notice that there will be some alterations when it comes to the dialogues for each character as a result. Rest assured that whomever you will choose, you will end with a character that is up to killing anything that comes in its way, for the right price of course.

The story isnt all that deep, but the characters do deliver some really funny one liners delivered in really funky accents. One character, Matthias, might even remind you a bit of Mr. Freeze! You just agree to do a job for a guy named Ramon Solano who is a certified scumbag and who shows his thanks for a job well done by putting a bullet on your ass. So naturally, as any mercenary, doing nothing just wont do, you go out and get your revenge.

Again, its not a very deep game when it comes to the story and in fact, it is pretty standard. What saves it from being a complete disaster is the fact that you really get to blow a lot of stuff up and the characters are very interesting. The bugs may give you a hard time but again, if you are willing to ignore them, you will surely enjoy this game.

5.8

After a more than a decade of anticipation and wait, the questionable sequel to the beloved Duke Nuke 3D that first came out way back in 1997 has finally surfaced. Duke Nuke Forever has certainly been the most confusingly awaited sequel to a great character in a video game published 12 years ago.

Duke, our beloved rock star, comedic and sexually active action hero is finally back. Though it seems that the stresses of time has been too much for the developers to handle as Duke Nukem Forever has fared to be such a blunder in terms of overall mechanics, gameplay and design which nowadays are the biggest basis in the judgement of video games, especially with shooting games. But with all due respect to Duke, let us state some of the good things that the developers have done successfully in this sequel.

For one, the iconic voice, comedic movie quotes and great punch line timing is still there. Duke is still the same Duke we know and loved back in the 90's with his rock star accent , great sounding (hate to love) voice and the seemingly sexual jokes he makes about women and objectifying them still seem to have a certain kick for the better. Well, he is Duke! He can say whatever he wants. Duke has been one of our very first video game heroes and we should be privileged to be acquainted with a character such that of Duke Nukem. The woman magnet, sexual god who is very good with his guns; this has seem to be the ultimate adolescent internet surfer / gamer dream. Most 90s teens probably played the first game and said to themselves. When I grow up, I want to be like Duke. That charisma of the character is still very present within the game. Also, the iconic futuristic weapons are still present too; the shrink ray, the freeze gun, the iconic and insanely large revolver which makes Duke the macho icon that he is, having the ability to lift that thing with one hand would seem to be a big turn on for the chicks.

On the other hand, the game falters in the aspect of design, shooting physics and overall mechanics. Most gamers would not appreciate this 90s feel of a shooting game. It is the new era, with hundreds of other shooting games in the industry. The developers could have gone away with it by taking a few more months of to clean up the mechanics and design aspect of the game. But that did not happen and now we have to live with the fact that the ever so anticipated sequel to the Iconic game of the 90s has been a landslide fluke. It seems like this is where the game really stands, being left out in the race of the modern era. Confusing how the developers thought this type of mechanics and shooting experience would suffice in the industry filled with terrific competition, especially in the fields of first person shooting games.

7.2

Crossover games are a genre where it is easy to expect an experience based solely on seeing our favorite characters from separate franchises on screen at the same time. Kart racing games are another genre that also has a perception of being for the casual gamer, and therefore expected to not offer a fully fleshed out experience. Plus, with a title as clunky as Sonic and AllStars Racing: Bonus Edition, it is all too easy for the committed gamer to pass this title up for something else without so many shallow credentials. The good news, however, for Sega fans and kart racing extraordinaires alike, is that this kart-racing Sega crossover tribute is not a gilded experience at all but one with plenty going on under the hood. From the multi-tiered maps to the customizable racers, and a decent campaign mode, Sonic and AllStars Racing: Bonus Edition is the full package and a great family game to pick up for new Wii U owners.

A little replay value beyond trying to beat your latest track time goes a long way, and Sonic and AllStars Racing delivers replay value in a campaign mode that will have the player collecting stars to advance through a tree of challenges. Also included is an XP based leveling system that can be used to level up your favorite racer's attributes as well as purchase new vehicle mods. Every vehicle has the ability to transform into new forms to traverse land, air, and sea by moving through special rings on each track. This is an enticing twist to say the least, as the constantly shifting racing styles increase the possibilities to cut down your time on each track exponentially.

Fans of arcade style kart racers will definitely appreciate the attention developers Sumo Digital gave to adding a bit a balance to an infamously unbalanced game genre. Kart racers may have certainly been the origin of the term "rubber banding" in video game culture, which refers to the phenomenon of games ratcheting up the difficulty suddenly when a player is doing too well. Sonic and AllStars Racing doesn't abandon this arcade staple, but they tone it down to the point where it might not cause too many hurled controllers. Online multiplayer offers up to 10 players in a race and Wii U owners will also get the bonus of five player couch multiplayer with one person playing the game on the controller's screen. There are also Wii U exclusive minigames like Super Monkey Ball. Those familiar with the tilt mechanic of this game will understand why it is perfect for the gyro controls of the Wii U. All the minigames are excellent displays of the console and its beefy controller's unique abilities.

Sonic and AllStars Racing is a quality game in a market where all the love is devoted to extremely violent and serious experiences. Wreck-it Ralph makes a delightful cameo as a playable racer in this game, for no reason other than to add to an already fun experience. Surprises like these outline a game that's about fun from top to bottom. The rare example of one that doesn't take it target audience for granted.

5.8

After a more than a decade of anticipation and wait, the questionable sequel to the beloved Duke Nuke 3D that first came out way back in 1997 has finally surfaced. Duke Nuke Forever has certainly been the most confusingly awaited sequel to a great character in a video game published 12 years ago.

Duke, our beloved rock star, comedic and sexually active action hero is finally back. Though it seems that the stresses of time has been too much for the developers to handle as Duke Nukem Forever has fared to be such a blunder in terms of overall mechanics, gameplay and design which nowadays are the biggest basis in the judgement of video games, especially with shooting games. But with all due respect to Duke, let us state some of the good things that the developers have done successfully in this sequel.

For one, the iconic voice, comedic movie quotes and great punch line timing is still there. Duke is still the same Duke we know and loved back in the 90's with his rock star accent , great sounding (hate to love) voice and the seemingly sexual jokes he makes about women and objectifying them still seem to have a certain kick for the better. Well, he is Duke! He can say whatever he wants. Duke has been one of our very first video game heroes and we should be privileged to be acquainted with a character such that of Duke Nukem. The woman magnet, sexual god who is very good with his guns; this has seem to be the ultimate adolescent internet surfer / gamer dream. Most 90s teens probably played the first game and said to themselves. When I grow up, I want to be like Duke. That charisma of the character is still very present within the game. Also, the iconic futuristic weapons are still present too; the shrink ray, the freeze gun, the iconic and insanely large revolver which makes Duke the macho icon that he is, having the ability to lift that thing with one hand would seem to be a big turn on for the chicks.

On the other hand, the game falters in the aspect of design, shooting physics and overall mechanics. Most gamers would not appreciate this 90s feel of a shooting game. It is the new era, with hundreds of other shooting games in the industry. The developers could have gone away with it by taking a few more months of to clean up the mechanics and design aspect of the game. But that did not happen and now we have to live with the fact that the ever so anticipated sequel to the Iconic game of the 90s has been a landslide fluke. It seems like this is where the game really stands, being left out in the race of the modern era. Confusing how the developers thought this type of mechanics and shooting experience would suffice in the industry filled with terrific competition, especially in the fields of first person shooting games.

6.2

After a more than a decade of anticipation and wait, the questionable sequel to the beloved Duke Nuke 3D that first came out way back in 1997 has finally surfaced. Duke Nuke Forever has certainly been the most confusingly awaited sequel to a great character in a video game published 12 years ago.

Duke, our beloved rock star, comedic and sexually active action hero is finally back. Though it seems that the stresses of time has been too much for the developers to handle as Duke Nukem Forever has fared to be such a blunder in terms of overall mechanics, gameplay and design which nowadays are the biggest basis in the judgement of video games, especially with shooting games. But with all due respect to Duke, let us state some of the good things that the developers have done successfully in this sequel.

For one, the iconic voice, comedic movie quotes and great punch line timing is still there. Duke is still the same Duke we know and loved back in the 90's with his rock star accent , great sounding (hate to love) voice and the seemingly sexual jokes he makes about women and objectifying them still seem to have a certain kick for the better. Well, he is Duke! He can say whatever he wants. Duke has been one of our very first video game heroes and we should be privileged to be acquainted with a character such that of Duke Nukem. The woman magnet, sexual god who is very good with his guns; this has seem to be the ultimate adolescent internet surfer / gamer dream. Most 90s teens probably played the first game and said to themselves. When I grow up, I want to be like Duke. That charisma of the character is still very present within the game. Also, the iconic futuristic weapons are still present too; the shrink ray, the freeze gun, the iconic and insanely large revolver which makes Duke the macho icon that he is, having the ability to lift that thing with one hand would seem to be a big turn on for the chicks.

On the other hand, the game falters in the aspect of design, shooting physics and overall mechanics. Most gamers would not appreciate this 90s feel of a shooting game. It is the new era, with hundreds of other shooting games in the industry. The developers could have gone away with it by taking a few more months of to clean up the mechanics and design aspect of the game. But that did not happen and now we have to live with the fact that the ever so anticipated sequel to the Iconic game of the 90s has been a landslide fluke. It seems like this is where the game really stands, being left out in the race of the modern era. Confusing how the developers thought this type of mechanics and shooting experience would suffice in the industry filled with terrific competition, especially in the fields of first person shooting games.

4.9

When playing Patrician IV you will be put in place in medieval Europe within a subculture where crass materialism has managed to overcome spirituality, and you will view all the diseases and infestations, which are normally viewed as manifestations of God's wrath, as being merely business opportunities for you wherein you can make loads of money. But you will find that business can be a bit dull since it mostly consists of buying rather cheap products from one port, loading them onto your boat and transporting them to another port and then delivering them to make some money. This is mostly how you will make your money and the only way that your character will interact with the medieval world, which is very unfortunate indeed since nearly all trades are in the control of some finicky slider that will make it far too simple to sort of accidentally buy up all the meat supply in one town and thereby enraging the people living in it.

As a matter of fact, you will find that nearly all of the problems that arise can be solved by simply delivering the right goods in the right ports and warehouses. If say a prince wants you to punish some vassal you then just take all his meat and grain into your ships and he will be famished. If you want to build some relations with a certain city, just drop off some foreign goods in their ports and you will have a new best friend. Why, if you want to court someone, you just have to make sure that you have enough goods in your warehouse to help pay for a wedding party. It is that easy and you may find yourself wishing that things would be as simple in real life.

It might seem tedious at times and maybe more than just a bit boring this way since it might seem as if you have nothing much to do except drag and drop goods, but it does come with its fair share of excitement at times which help break up the monotony of the whole game.

All in all it is a fair enough game which can be entertaining when you put yourself in the right frame of mind and you do not expect too much swashbuckling.